Basic tense agreement in French : complete course

If you’ve ever tried to tell a story in French or report what someone said, you may have noticed that verb tenses don’t always stay the same. That’s because French has a system called la concordance des temps — or “sequence of tenses” — which governs how verb tenses relate to each other in a sentence. Understanding this system will help you sound more natural and accurate in French.

Simple Examples to Get Started

Before diving into the details, let’s look at two quick examples:

• Je sais qu’il vient. — I know that he is coming. (both actions in the present)
• Je savais qu’il venait. — I knew that he was coming. (both actions shifted to the past)

Notice how when the main verb changes from present to past, the verb in the subordinate clause also changes. That’s la concordance des temps in action.

Les Éléments de la Concordance des Temps en Français

The sequence of tenses in French depends on two main things: the tense of the main clause and the time relationship of the subordinate clause. Let’s break this down into clear parts.

1. When the Main Verb Is in the Present or Future

When the main verb is in the present or future tense, the subordinate verb reflects the actual time of the action:

Time Relationship	Tense Used	Example
Same time	Present	Je pense qu’il travaille. — I think he is working.
Before (past)	Passé composé	Je pense qu’il a travaillé. — I think he worked.
After (future)	Future simple	Je pense qu’il travaillera. — I think he will work.

2. When the Main Verb Is in the Past

This is where it gets more complex — and more important to understand. When the main verb is in a past tense (passé composé, imparfait, plus-que-parfait), the subordinate verb must also shift into the past:

Time Relationship	Tense Used	Example
Same time	Imparfait	Il a dit qu’il était fatigué. — He said he was tired.
Before (past)	Plus-que-parfait	Il a dit qu’il avait travaillé. — He said he had worked.
After (future)	Conditionnel présent	Il a dit qu’il viendrait. — He said he would come.

3. The Role of Reported Speech

La concordance des temps is especially important in reported speech (discours indirect). When you report what someone said, you need to shift the tenses accordingly:

• Direct: Elle dit : «Je suis heureuse.» — She says: “I am happy.”
• Reported: Elle a dit qu’elle était heureuse. — She said that she was happy.

The present tense suis becomes the imparfait était because the main verb a dit is in the past.

Pourquoi la Concordance des Temps est Importante

In short: it makes your French sound correct and natural. Without following this system, your sentences may feel disconnected or confusing to native speakers. It’s a key part of speaking and writing French fluently — especially when telling stories, giving reports, or writing formal texts. Mastering this concept will give your French a much more polished feel.

Comparaison avec d’Autres Langues

If you speak English or Spanish, you may already have some intuition for this concept — but French has its own rules worth noting:

Language	System	Example
French	Strict tense agreement required in subordinate clauses	Il a dit qu’il viendrait. — He said he would come.
English	Tense backshift used but sometimes optional in informal speech	He said he would come. / He said he will come. (both used)
Spanish	Similar system to French, with the subjunctive playing a larger role	Dijo que vendría. — He said he would come.

English speakers sometimes struggle because in casual English, tense backshift is not always required. In French, however, the rules are more consistent and must be followed in both spoken and written language.

Exemple Complet

Let’s look at a short paragraph that uses la concordance des temps correctly:

Marie a appelé son ami. Elle lui a dit qu’elle était fatiguée et qu’elle ne pourrait pas venir à la fête. Elle a ajouté qu’elle avait déjà annulé ses autres rendez-vous.

In English: Marie called her friend. She told him that she was tired and that she would not be able to come to the party. She added that she had already cancelled her other appointments.

• était fatiguée — imparfait (same time as the past main verb)
• ne pourrait pas venir — conditionnel présent (action after the main verb)
• avait annulé — plus-que-parfait (action before the main verb)

Points à Retenir

• La concordance des temps means verb tenses must agree logically in a sentence.
• When the main verb is in the past, the subordinate verb shifts into the past too.
• The imparfait replaces the present, the conditionnel replaces the future, and the plus-que-parfait replaces the passé composé.
• This rule is especially important in reported speech and storytelling.
• French is stricter than English on this point, so pay close attention.

Sources

• Grévisse, M. & Goosse, A. (2011). Le Bon Usage. De Boeck Supérieur.
• Riegel, M., Pellat, J.-C. & Rioul, R. (2009). Grammaire méthodique du français. Presses Universitaires de France.
• Conseil de l’Europe. (2001). Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues. Didier. Available at: www.coe.int